Selecting the right props is an important stage in the creation of a good television show. They are used by the actors to interact with each other and play a significant role in forming the style and feel of the programme.  The sofa has long been used as an item to bring characters together in a naturalistic setting, and is a piece of furniture which has become synonymous with some of the nation’s best loved shows. Here are a few of them.

Friends

The American TV programme that made a New York coffee house part of popular culture – as the show became a ratings hit, imitations of the show’s Central Perk cafe started to spring up all over the world. The sofa in the cafe played a central role in the programme as the place where Ross, Rachel et al would meet to discuss their latest trials and tribulations. This long running series was loved by fans from all around the world and this humble piece of furniture became an iconic part of the show.

The Royle Family

This great British comedy played with the idea of an audience sitting down to watch TV. The Royle Family invited us to sit on our own sofas in our own homes to watch a TV programme about a family sitting on theirs whilst watching their TV. Perhaps only the British have the sense of humour to see Jim as a role model!

Neighbours

Whilst sofas are seen in most of the houses of Ramsey Street, perhaps it is the one which stood for years in Toadie’s living room which is the most iconic. This battered old piece of furniture served Toadie well and, despite its condition and the fact that he is a highly paid lawyer, he refused to part with it until it fell apart. His attachment to it demonstrated the sentimental value an everyday object can have in our lives.

The Big Bang Theory

This popular US sitcom about four science nerds and an attractive female neighbour largely takes place in the apartment of Sheldon, who, it has to be said, is highly eccentric even by ‘nerd’ standards. One of his many quirks is an insistence that he must always have the same seating position in the apartment, claiming that it has the best acoustics, avoids the draft and allows him to watch TV whilst still talking to guests. He refuses to reconsider his position on the sofa, and this is where most of the dialogue in the programme takes place.

The Graham Norton Show

This popular TV show sees host Graham Norton inviting his guests to sit on the studio sofa to discuss their latest films, records or TV programmes, often in an irreverent manner. Unusually for this type of show, his guests are all seated together, side by side, instead of separately. By doing this, the programme cleverly generates the feeling of a relaxing chat taking place in your very own living room.

This article is brought to you by Sofa.com – providers of quality leather sofas.

[IMAGE ATTRIBUTION]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alebonvini/ – courtesy of AleBonvini

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hollywoodbranded/ – courtesy of Hollywood_PR

So I love watching the news. I just like to be aware of my current events and, of course, it can always inspire a new idea for a book. But it seems to me that having babies has made me more sensitive to material that is shown on the news. For instance, on the “Today” show, they had a video clip of some parents at a laundromat. The father had been playing with his toddler and put the boy in the washer to play “peek-a-boo”. When the door shut on the child, the washing machine turned and wouldn’t stop until it had completed its cycle. Luckily, an employee rushed in, unplugged the machine and pried the door open. The boy had been in there for just over a minute. They took him to the hospital and he was fine.

And how was I as I watched these parents scream for help while watching their baby through the windowed door? Totally crying! Now, that doesn’t mean I was an emotional wreck or anything, but tears were slipping down my cheeks. The thing is, they reported the boy was fine before they even showed the video clip. So I knew everything ended happily, but I still cried. I know that’s not something I would have done before I had any kids. (Not to say I wouldn’t have been shocked or concerned by the story, just that I would have had my emotions in check and under control.)

But that little story is just one instance when I get emotionally impacted by a story. It doesn’t even have to be the news. I watched a show called “What Would You Do?” that had a similar effect on me. (Great show, by the way – I totally recommend it!) In one particular episode, it talked about a person several years back that had been beaten and left in the road. (This actually did happen.) Pedestrians didn’t even call for help. They all walked around the man as he lay bleeding to death. One person even stepped over him to load his groceries in the car and didn’t glance at the guy. The poor victim died. He could have survived if someone would have stopped to call the paramedics.

(If you don’t know what the show is about, they brought that story up so that they could do a more mild reenactment and see what people would do.)

Again, I cried when I saw that story. It was just too heartbreaking to me.

So I’ve come into a question as I’ve been watching shows and feeling terrible over the things I’ve seen in recent years: Am I simply more sensitive because I’ve had kids, or are people just getting worse? Who knows, it could be both.

So I guess the point of writing is blog is that I want to get your opinions about our society and what’s happening in the world today. Have things always been this bad and I’m simply having a more difficult time accepting it, or are we slowly deteriorating as people? Have our standards just gotten so low that it’s no big deal to see a man, broken and bloody, die in the street? Am I the only one to get upset over seeing that boy get stuck in a washer? I want to know what you guys think!

Note: By mentioning the story of the little boy, I’m not making any judgments on the parents. I think they’re traumatized enough by it to never do something like that again.

I love this post because it’s so true! Mad Men and Downton Abbey are my current favorites. 🙂

Since the inception of TV, television networks and studios have been commissioning pieces set in varying points of history. Just mentioning this may spring to mind some favourites such as “Blackadder” in which each series was set during a different time period. We will now have a brief look over some of the modern shows on television today that hark back to days gone by.

Downton Abbey

This period English drama has just recently finished showing its second series. It has become a sensational hit, both in the UK and perhaps more surprisingly in the US. The plot revolves around a fictional stately home in Yorkshire and its inhabitants. The time period for the series is the early part of the 20th century, and addresses such events within its screenplay as the sinking of ‘Titanic’ and the Great War of 1914-1918. The appeal of ‘Downton Abbey’ may come from the social insights it investigates through the relationships of the staff, and the owners, of the stately home and the archaic class system it embodies.

Boardwalk Empire

Boardwalk Empire is a series made by the excellent American drama network ‘Home Box Office’ or ‘HBO’, and starring Steve Buscemi. HBO productions are often lavish and detailed, and many have been huge successes the world over, for example ‘Band of Brothers’ and ‘Pacific’. Boardwalk Empire is set during the 1920’s and 30’s in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The series follows ‘Enoch “Nucky” Thompson’, a real-life political figure, through this period of prohibition. The pilot of the series was directed by award winning director Martin Scorsese, and the following series was a huge television success with the season finale gaining 3.29 million viewers in the US.

Mad Men

Mad Men is a long running American drama focusing on a fictional advertising agency in New York during the 1960’s. The series is notably famous for its attention to detail when depicting the 1960’s, and a lot of effort has been made to maintain the historical accuracy and visual aesthetics of the period. The drama is currently in its 5th season and has addressed some of the social issues of the 60’s throughout. Some of these controversial issues include racism and sexism.

Life on Mars

This TV show is a British BBC production which follows a policeman, ‘Sam Tyler’, in 2006. Tyler has an accident and is hit by a car; the character then awakes in 1973. Tyler is still on the payroll of Manchester Police, only that now he is a lower rank than he was at the time of his accident, being a Detective Inspector. The two series that were made follow the character through his line of work and the 1970’s in general. Throughout the series the viewers do not know what happened to Sam Tyler in real life, whether he has in fact travelled in time, if he was killed by the accident, or if he was actually in a coma back in 2006. Life on Mars features many historical accuracies such as the fashion, including high heeled platforms, and the music, including ‘David Bowie’ and ‘Thin Lizzy’.

That ’70s Show

This is the only comedy TV show mentioned so far. As you can see most period productions tend to be serious dramas. ‘That’70s Show’ focuses on the lives of a group of teenagers living in Wisconsin. It enjoyed a long and successful running period, with 8 seasons, comprising of 200 episodes, created in total.

That ’70s Show of course contained many aspects of the decade and addressed some of the relevant social issues where possible. Some of the social issues that featured in the show’s storylines were feminism and the hardship associated with the 1970’s recession. The production of the show maintained the ’70s feel, replicating the fashion styles worn throughout the decade. Style-markers included items such as high heeled platforms, lots of denim, and floral print shirts.

Citations:

• Photograph of ‘Downton Abbey’ by Richard Munckton

Peppermint have a wonderful selection of high heeled platforms that are at the height of current high-street fashion.

Great television series aren’t only found in the United States. Other countries have great storylines and great acting that keep us entertained. In fact, some of the most beloved shows we have in the US were actually spawned from television series in other countries.
Aside from the ever popular Downtown Abbey, the following are five foreign television series that you will absolutely love.

The Office

If you enjoy the US version of The Office, you’ll also enjoy the UK version of The Office, which is the original. The Office was created, written and directed by actor Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. The characters on the show work at Wernham Hogg Paper Company, and the show follows each character around their work day. Plots on this show involve the strange yet interesting characters and how they go about their day. From love triangles to strange behavior, this comedy will have you laughing hysterically while falling in love with the characters.
Along with becoming a US series, The Office has also spawned other national versions, including Le Bureau (France), Stromberg (Germany), Os Aspones (Brazil) and La Job (Canada).
Neighbours

Neighbours is an Australian soap opera that was started in 1985 and still continues today. The show follows characters who work and live in a fictional suburb known as Erinsborough. Most of the characters on the show live on Ramsey Street. Like most soap operas, the stories tend to deal with family issues, social problems, romance and domestic issues. And again like most soap operas, it has had its fair share of kidnappings, murders, teenage pregnancies, adultery, abortions, drugs and sexuality. If you have a love for the drama of soap operas, Neighbours is your cup of tea.
The Inbetweeners

Though this show went off the air in 2010, reruns of this British sitcom are still available. This show followed the main character, Will, a suburban teenager, and his three friends, Simon, Neil and Jay. Like most teenagers, these boys are mostly interested in sex and beer, and the show focuses on their attempts at getting these things. Along with their adventures and teenage mishaps, the series also focuses on family life and touches on a few major issues, such as divorce and homosexuality.
This group of boys are also slightly nerdy and are usually the target of the school bully, Mark Donovan. The Inbetweeners was turned into a movie in 2011.
The IT Crowd

This British sitcom revolves around the life of three IT coworkers in the fictional Reynholm Industries.  The show features Jen, the department head who really knows nothing about IT; Maurice, who is extremely nerdy but also very, very smart; and Roy, who gives shy a whole new meaning. The IT department at Reynholm Industries is in a dark and dirty basement, and the plot of the show follows these characters as they get into predicaments with bosses, are disliked by others in the company, and take guesses at what it is that Reynholm Industries actually does.
Shameless

Shameless is a British comedy-drama that focuses on the poor working class. Following a family of young adults to little children who have no satisfactory parental supervision, it depicts the lives of siblings with little to no money and the situations they find themselves in. After seeing much success in the UK, an American version of Shameless was created and is available on Showtime.
If foreign television piques your interest, these shows are a must-see. From sitcoms to dramas, they each have everything you love about television series.

Lucy Lau loves watching foreign series available for download on her Kindle Fire.

Photo Credit: thewalter